Separation SID's with same initial segment
 

Hi all,

Not new here, but now with an account :). I have a question regarding the minimum departure separation is used by different ANSP's. How do you guys sequence and separate the following;

What if some of the SIDs for a specific runway have the same 'initial segment' before turning towards their specific basic indicator. Do you use the same time separation as considered for the same SIDs flown by aircraft behind each other in the departure sequence? For instance;

SID A1B: after departure climb straight ahead, at 2 'XXX' DME 2 turn left to track 045 and intercept 'ZZZ' R-180 proceed to 'QQQ' and proceed to 'GGG'.
SID B1B: after departure climb straight ahead, at 2 'XXX' DME 2 turn left to track 045 and intercept 'ZZZ' R-180 proceed to 'QQQ' and proceed to 'LLL'.

Initial segment is exactly the same, but they are considered as 'different' SIDs. How are those separated? 1 or 2 minutes? And to be sure I am NOT talking about wake turbulence minima.

Thanks all for the information and reply :ok:

Departure separations are usually laid down in the local orders.

Very much dependent on runway config. Most airports that share the runways for arrivals and departures will rarely have to wait to launch another departure.

Unless A380s are involved, the arrival sequence will usually allow the Tower to depart one aircraft in between successive arrivals. This creates a natural gap of 2 mins/5nm that are utilised at many capitol city airports.

Cool, thanks!! And what is your way of working with different SIDs on the same rwy turning left and right but only the initial climb out track X DME from the field is the same? Do you also consider that as 2 minutes? Suggest me that if so you are almost never allowed to separate only 1 minute, only when sending them left or right after departure or to apply level separation.

'Diverging' SIDs usually separate within the first couple of miles. Your example, where they both go to "QQQ" before separating, sound like they share the same track for quite a few miles. The airport would probably consider them the same SID, so a common time separation would be 2 minutes (for similar performance aircraft).

Assuming you have a radar environment wouldn't you be using that? 3/5nm until they diverge?

Guess it all depends on how far they would fly on the same track.

Thank you all! Useful information :)

Even though most of our SIDs are RNAV, the turn off the initial heading is controller initiated at 3600' (noise) or later. Tower will provide 3nm between successive departures unless a following departure is either turned immediately or is using pilot applied visual separation. Visual separations can be spectacularly small in some cases! The only timed separations we use are those required when following an A380.